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Written by

Gina Conley, MS

4 Tips to Turn On Your Core!

  • Core Rehab, Fitness, Postnatal, Prenatal
Really FEELING your core turn-on during movement can be challenging, especially during pregnancy and the postpartum period where we may experience a bit of a disconnect with our changing body.
Really FEELING your core turn-on during movement can be challenging, especially during pregnancy and the postpartum period where we may experience a bit of a disconnect with our changing body.

Let’s explore a few ways we can FEEL our core turn-on so we can feel stronger during this phase of our lives!

4 Tips to FEEL Your Core Turn On!

Here are a few different cues that you can use to feel your core turn on more with exercise:

  • Make a loud SHHH sound as you exhale with exertion
  • Think draw the hip bones together and zipper up the center of the abs
  • Squeeze a ball between your thighs
  • Activate the lats with banded pull aparts or rows

We can use these cues to help us feel our core more during exercise!  In our prenatal and postnatal on-demand programs, we cue you through every rep in our full-length workout videos so you can get more out of your workouts!

HOW you do exercises is much more important than WHAT you do.  Our fitness programs include an educational course so that you know HOW to approach exercise throughout your pregnancy and into the postpartum period!

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1. Make a loud SHHH sound as you exhale

The first thing we can do is to make a loud SHHH sound as you exhale.  This loud noise can help TURN ON the pelvic floor!

Try it now!  

Take a big inhale.

Then exhale and go SHHHH, and pay attention to how your core and pelvic floor feel during the exhalation.

Another consideration is to coordinate our breath to movement!  How we move with our breath can support our core health and optimal function!

  • When we inhale:
    • diaphragm moves DOWN
    • belly and back expand OUT
    • pelvic floor moves DOWN
    • We inhale WITH gravity
  • When we exhale:
    • Pelvic floor lifts up and in
    • belly and back contract upwards
    • We exhale AGAINST gravity or in the hard part of the exercise

Watch the video below for a breakdown on HOW to coordinate your breath to movement and WHY it matters!

2. Draw the Hip Bones Together & Zipper Up

Next, we can use some internal cues!

As you exhale think:

  • Draw the hip bones closer together on the front
  • Then zipper up the center of the abs

Visually thinking about this movement (although there wont be much happening in reality) can really help you turn on your core!

3. Lat Engagement

Next, we can add some external props!  We love using the Crossover Symmetry bands in our gym for our workouts, but any resistance band will support this.

With resistance bands, we can engage in the lats which can help turn on your core.  Sometimes we need MORE activation to feel our core turn on.

  • You can place a mini band around the wrists and pull it apart.
  • You could row or pull down a band.
  • Any horizontal or vertical pulling can help you turn on the lats = more core engagement

Lots of options here!

Sometimes the answer is to find MORE demand!

Prolapse Labor Position

If you want more of a breakdown of WHAT to do throughout your prenatal and postnatal workouts, check out our fitness programs!  We offer it in two formats:

Ashley
100% your program helped me so much!! I felt soooo strong during my labor and able to stay upright for longer because I had worked really hard on my fitness throughout pregnancy. I can see the fruit of that in this PP season as well. I’m able to move around and keep up with my toddler and move in a way I’m not in constant pain. Your programs are the real deal 👏🏼
Chelsea
I am so so glad that this prenatal program could guide me in how to stay strong and fit while giving good pregnancy modifications. I think this helped so much in the “marathon” that is labor! After I had my baby I really didn’t know how to safely and effectively get back into fitness and her return to fitness program has been amazing! As someone who felt fit before pregnancy- I was always challenging by the programming and it has helped so much! I recommend her classes and programs to all my friends!
Laura
I have nothing but positive things to say. My last pregnancy I had debilitating pubic bone pain where I was unable to exercise for the last 10 weeks of my pregnancy. I was even sleeping with an ice pack on my pubic bone every night by the end. This pregnancy has been completely different. I am completing all the work outs as written with very little substitutions. I’m sure I will be able to work out on the day of my induction if I chose to. I have tried two other pregnancy programs and the only option they gave for the pubic bone pain was to do less and less. I loved how your approach was from a strengthening perspective and I firmly believe all those oblique sling moves made the difference. Thank you for all your knowledge.
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4. Squeeze a ball between the thighs: turn on the adductors

Another external prop you can use is a ball squeeze!  When we turn on the inner thighs, or the adductors, it can help us turn on the pelvic floor/core even more!

As you exhale to press or row (or whatever movement you are doing), you can think exhale to SQUEEZE the ball between your thighs.  

You may notice that with more demand, you can feel your core more!

Watch the video below for an example of how we can incorporate a ball squeeze to support our core activation!

Reconnect with Your Core During Pregnancy and Postpartum

We can still feel our core activate even during pregnancy and beyond!  It can be more challenging in this new body, as it changes daily, but using these cues could help you reconnect!